Mechanical toy



0d. 8, 1946. E. v. FILBRUN 2,409,028

MECHANICAL TOY Filed May 11, '1945 INV ENTOR E VEEE 7' T K F/LBEU/V ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 8, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanical toy in which there is a plurality of inclined tracks or runways and thimble shaped pockets which receive spherical articles from the lower ends of runways and discharge them onto the upper ends of other runways.

It is an object of this invention to provide a mechanical toy in which the lower end of one runway is adjacent the upper end of another runway and which has a thimble shaped pivoted pocket member to receive a spherical article from one runway and discharge it onto another runway.

This invention has for its object to provide a mechanical toy hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a toy embodying this invention in which parts are broken away to show operating structures.

Figure 2 is a top-plan view.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

The drawing shows a base i rectangular in shape and composed of any suitable material, either wood or metal. Adjacent to one end of the base is a receptacle 2 which may be formed by cutting away part of the base. Adjacent to each end of the base is a U-shaped upright or standard 3 composed of side members 4 and a Web or bottom 5. These uprights may be made of wood but ar preferably made of sheet metal, and are attached to the base in any suitable manner, as by screws.

The standards or uprights are connected by means of inclined tracks or runways 6, l, 8, 9, l0, H and I2. Th lower ends of track ways 6, 8, l and I2 are attached to one of the uprights 3 adjacent the upper ends of th tracks or runways 7, 9 and i l and the pivoted track member or lever 2!). The ends of the track ways are attached to the sides of the uprights or standards by means of rivets or screws l3. Each inclined track or runway is composed of two parallel members slightly spaced apart and provided with downwardly and inwardly directed flanges M which provide th supporting surface for the spherical articles such as marbles.

At the lower end of each track way the flanges M are cut away, as indicated by the numeral 15, to provide space for a thimble shaped pocket I! pivotally supported between the sides of the uprights and extending outwardly through an oblong hole in the web 0r bottom of the upright, as indicated by the numeral l6. These pockets are supported pivotally by means of rivets l8 extend- 2 ing through the sides of the uprights and the pockets.

The outer ends of the pockets in the normal position are supported in alignment with the track ways by engaging the standards at the lower end of the opening l6. These pockets are normally in a position to receive marbles 3E! rolling down the runways, as is clearly shown from an examination of Figure 1. The outer end of each pocket is slightly heavier than its inner end, but is only so much heavier that it is possible when a marble enters the inner end of the pocket, the weight of the marble will tilt the pocket down so that the marble is discharged from one runway onto another. The outer ends of the pockets are slightly closed, as indicated by the numeral IS.

The lever 20 which is adapted to receive a marble from the runway I2 is constructed in substantially the same manner as the runways 6 to l2, but has one end free to move up and down. In order to hold the free ends of the track 20 in fixed relation to each other, there is provided a tie 2|. The track member or lever 20 is supported on one of the uprights by means of a pivot v22. Attached to pivotal end of track member 20 is a threaded member 23 which provides support for an adjustable weight 28. Around this threaded member 23 is a loop 24 to which one end of arm 25 is attached by means of a pivot pin 26; the other end of this arm 25 is attached to the pocket adjacent to end of th runway B by means of a pivot pin 21. On the threaded member 23 adjacent the loop 24 is a weight 28 held in adjusted position on the threaded member by means of a nut 29.

In order to play the game marbles are placed upon the runway 6. One of these marbles will be in the inner end of the upper thimble shaped pocket. These marbles will remain on the runway 6 until the pocket at the end of this runway is tilted so that the marble in the end of this pocket is dropped onto the runway 1. From runway I the marble will pass into the pocket at the lower end thereof; the weight of the marble will then tilt the pocket so that the marble is discharged onto the runway 8. This operation is continued until the marble finally reaches the pivoted track member 20. When the marble rolls down the pivotal track 20, the weight of the marble will tilt this lever thereby moving th arm 25 upward to tilt the pocket at the end of the runway 6, thereby starting the movement of another marble down the various trackways.

. From the lever 20 the marble falls into the receptacle 2.

of tracks, one of said pocket members being connected to and tilted by the pivotally mounted track. v

2. A mechanical toy comprising a pair of stand ards, a plurality of inclined trackways attached 15 one above another to the standards at their ends, the lower end of each trackway being adjacent the upper end of another trackway, said standards being provided with oblong holes therein adjacent the lower end of each trackway, and a pocket shaped thimble member pivoted at each hole for receiving an object from the trackway and discharging it to a lower trackway, and a lever forming a pivoted trackway adapted to receive said object from the lower trackway, whereby it is tilted and operates the thimble shaped pocket member adjacent the lower end of the upper trackway.

EVERETT V. FILBRUN. 

